Talking About The Faith Path

Reality Checks can be Challenging. There is much in life that is beautiful, and inspiring, and leads us to hope for better days. Good people, the salt of the earth, or everywhere. This is reality. There are dangers, people who are actually evil, and our lives can turn on a dime. Also, life...

Where Does Faith in God Lead? ‘Religion is always love, nothing but love.’ Haven’t I explained to you that you will be judged according to the measure of your love—on that alone? Bossis, Gabrielle. He and I (Kindle Locations 4201-4203). Pauline Books and Media. Kindle Edition +++++++++...

Dealing with ‘situations’ I plead with you--never, ever give up on hope, never doubt, never tire, and never become discouraged. Be not afraid. Pope John Paul II I guess you can say, that we all have times in our lives when the above quote may not seem helpful. Sickness, loss of a loved one...

We are all seen To love is to actually ‘see’. Loving parents know this, as well as those who have deep friendships, or who care for others when they show need, struggle, etc. Love brings its own brand of suffering. To see as deeply as Jesus did must have been very soul-wrenching indeed...

The Key I have found that many of my defenses are there for emotional protection, not created by some act of the will to defend myself, but a natural, often-needed defense, for safety. I also have come to understand, that one great cause of suffering comes from letting others into one’s heart...

Advent season and the Pro-Life movement “[W]e are facing an enormous and dramatic clash between good and evil, death and life, the “culture of death” and the “culture of life”. We find ourselves not only faced with but necessarily in the midst of this conflict: we are all involved and we all...

Choose to Hope Hope can be difficult to maintain, yet without hope all we have is despair. I struggle with this but choose to hope. Br.MD,

Preparing for Advent Advent is an invitation “to sobriety, to not be dominated by the things of this world, Pope Francis said on Nov. 27 in St. Peter's Square. “If, on the contrary, we are conditioned and overpowered by them, it is not possible to perceive that which is much more important: our...

It is in times of pain, fear, and chaos, that God can seem far away “My tender care is ever around My children. But they don’t see it. They look upon all the happy incidents in their lives as only natural and are inclined to attribute them to chance. Yet a word of happy thanks would bring Me...

Lost and found in the labyrinth at the ER Last week, I made a trip to the ER at “Piedmont Hospital Downtown”. It has been at the location for over 50 years I believe. I was there in 1976 for an eye operation and was impressed by the quality of care. It still has a good reputation. Of...

Man Trapped on a Bridge Wesley Chapel is a busy street, rush hour traffic is slow but relentless, people focused on what is in front of them, often blinded by what is around them, especially when it is dark with limited vision created by the oncoming traffic. Driving half blind we were. So I...

Conversation with a Retreatant “God doesn't always bring you the entire truth. He sometimes gives it to you in pieces, in order to learn. Regardless, it is the piece that you got today that will renew your faith for tomorrow.” ― Shannon L. Ald Being a Retreat-Master (or Guest-Master) affords...

Don't Mope As we grow, we begin to form holy habits that allow us to stay on the path, and when we fail, o get up again soon, and not mope over our shortcomings. Moping is not a gift of the Holy Spirit but flows from self-hatred, the opposite of humility.-Br.MD

We pass each other without touching In the crowds that press against us, they are unique universes filled with joy and pain, we pass each other without touching, looking down, or to the left or right, perhaps giving a slight smile and a how do you do (?), but eye contact for a second only...

Humility draws us closer to God, it does not have us flee When you adore Me, forgetting yourself and forsaking all things for Me, you imitate Me, for adoration is a kind of death. It is a passing out of everything that solicits the senses and a cleaving to Me alone in the bright darkness of...

What are we preparing for? Life is hard, though also filled with beauty, and wonder, and yes there is always hope. My eyes that look out upon the world today do not see the same things as I once did when I was a callow youth. I have lost a certain innocence as I aged, and I think that is a...

Seeking God in the midst of our struggles 11th Step: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. ++++++++++ The 11th Step group was here this weekend. We...

We thrive on love, we die in a vacuum “Every time God forgives us, God is saying that God’s own rules do not matter as much as the relationship that God wants to create with us.”-Richard Rohr Sometimes when I am setting before the Lord, I thank the Lord for his presence, and then I apologize...

God Who Loves Us I love Richard Roar's take on the parable of the Prodigal Son. I do believe that the teaching of Jesus on the depth of God's love for all has yet to hit the heart of Christian understanding. I like what he said about how the Father runs toward us,even when we may feel we are at...

It is like slowly drinking poison I have heard over the years about how the saints over-emphasized their tendency to sin. That being close to God, sin should somehow not be an issue, a problem, or a struggle. One reason I believe, and this applies to me, is that it is difficult to understand...